Surgical bandage.



J. R. ARIVIINGTON.

SURGICAL BANDAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-12,1918.

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J'IES It. ARMINGTON, OF ALLSTO EACTURING COMPANY, OF FRAMINGI-IAM SSACHUSETTS;

I PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

SURGICAL BANDAGE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. ARMINGTON, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Allston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Surgical Bandages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to surgical dressings and more particularly to surgical bandaging material. I

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a bandaging material which is soft yet comparatively strong, which, will absorb liquids rapidly and in large quantities, which is exceedingl yielding and to some extent elastic, and which possesses other characteristics peculiarly adapting it to surgical dressings.

I attain the aforesaid objects by making my improved bandages of absorbent paper or other bibulous material adapted to be given a peculiar formation which will permit a given length of bandage to absorb a relatively large amount of liquid, and which renders the andage yielding and elastic when dry so that it may be closely applied to an injured member without binding the member too tightly. The peculiar formation of the bibulous material of the charac ter referred to is characterized by inequalitie which may comprise a series of raised portions or alternate raised and depressed ortions which may be regularly or irreguarly arranged. The formation may comprise a series of regular waves or corruga tions or a plurality of irregular ridges or projections and the inequalities may be formed either by crinkling, rumpling, wrinkling, folding, creasing, corrugating, crimping or in other suitable manner.

In the accompanying drawings,-

' Figure 1 is a perspective view of a roll of my improved bandage material; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the material.

The particular embodiment of my invention chosen for the purpose of illustration comprises a roll A of bibulous paper of suitablewidth to be employed as bandage matcrial. The paper has a series of crinkles, crimps or corrugations extending transversely thereof as indicated at B in the fig- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, T911 Application filedJanuary 12, 1918. Serial No. 211,640.

ures, thereby to produce a rimose or rimulose surface on both sides of the paper the clefts and crevices of which are fairly deep. The crinkles are preferably formed close together, fifty to seventy-five to the inch for example, and fairly deep, the material being reduced in length about fifty per cent. by the crinkles, so that the walls of the crevices are relatively close together. By subjecting the bandage to a relatively strong lengthwise pull the crinkles or corrugations rlpay be stretched out as indicated at C in The paper which ll prefer to employ in my improved. bandages is made of wood pulp with the fibers extending predominantly in the direction of the length of the bandage, thereby afi'ording a material which is relatively open and porous but which nevertheless has a relatively high tensile strength. A bandage of the character herein disclosed possesses many advantages of which the principal advantages are the followin By virtue of the crinkles or inequalities in the material a relatively long length of ma terial is compressed into a relatively short length'of bandage so that a given length of bandage will absorb a much greater amount of liquid than would a flat bandage. The corrugations or wrinkles not only make the bandage exceedingly yielding so that it may e readily applied and adapted to a member of any shape or contour but they also make the bandage moderately elastic so that the turns or windings will tend to contract suliiciently to hold the'bandage in position but not to such extent as unduly to squeeze the member to which the bandage is applied. Moreover, when the bandage is wound fairly looselyaround a member the crinkles prevent the windings from being tightly compressed together and thereby permit ventilation and freedom of movement, whereas if the bandage is. wound tightly around a member the crinkles are stretched out so that the windings are compressed tightly together as in the case of an ordinary bandage.

By arranging thelfibers of the paper predominantly lengthwise of the bandages a maximum strength for a given degree of softness and porosity may be obtained. Moreover, the elasticity of the bandage is increased by arranging the fibers longituditages are obtained either by arranging the fibers longitudinally or by forming. the crinkles transversely and that still further advantages are afforded by utilizing both of these two features together, but it will be understood that certain of the objectsof the present invention are attained when the fibers are not arranged longitudinally, when the crinkles are not formed transversely, and when neither of these features are employed. I claim: 1. A surgical bandage comprising a ribbon of bibulous material having crinkles extending crosswise thereof. 2. 'A surgical bandage comprising a ribbon of bibulous paper having transverse crinkles extending the full width thereof.

Signed by. me at Framingham, Massachusetts, this ninth day of January, 1918.

JAMES R; ARMINGTON. 

